#Sorry about the huge watermark I just don’t want to see this crap sold on amazon as a mug design I will lose my mind

[maxbruiser]

happy fall y’all

[plac3h0lder]

*Face goes back to normal* Sorry. It's just that when you see Tumblr posts about commisioned art theft and character theft, you tend to not trust someone with your work on the internet.

//Oh no, hun. Having trust issues when it comes to art? I’m sorry. Allow me to explain a few things, then! Maybe it might help? I dunno, i hope it does!

//Whenever someone tries to tell you ‘If you didn’t want it taken why’d you put it on the internet?’, just kind of turn the other cheek. Because that is BULL CRAP. NO ONE wants their art taken. NO ONE. We put it on the internet because we want it to be seen and appreciated, not stolen and used improperly without a trace back to us. If we didn’t put our art on the internet there wouldn’t BE art on the internet. As artists, we trust our viewers to respect and appreciate our art. Now, listen up, pal.

//If someone uses your art for a commission? This may sound absolutely bonkers, but, it’s not a big deal. A very easy and simple way to fix that is to get in touch with the person who had bought said commission on behalf of the thief and show them that they were indeed scammed. Don’t barrel in at the the thief. In fact, when doing this, try to make yourself as nonexistent as possible to them. It takes them by surprise and allows the purchaser to confront them instead of the artist, as they most likely already have no care or respect for the artist altogether. However, if they’re discovered by someone who literally gave them money, this said person has all right to expose them, allowing the situation to have a bigger effect than if it were the artist themselves.

I mean, doesn’t “This person sold me a false product produced by a false source” settle beneath the skin harder than “This person sold my art”?

//Another way to fix this is to hide multiple watermarks on your image in case the obvious one is cropped out. Don’t hide it beyond sight, but, just hide it enough so that some looking/digging has to be done to find it. Don’t hide one. Hide two or three, even four if you’re paranoid. That way if they don’t see it, their buyer might notice and or recognize it and trace it back to you.

//Now. As for common art theft.. I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Sure, it’s aggravating to have your art taken. But is it so much of a deal to go out of your way to create stress for yourself? No. Of course not. The reason why i state this is because if someone stole your art, they’re bound to do it again. Eventually SOMEONE is gonna notice the style changes and technique differences. Exposing art theft is as common as committing it. If your art isn’t being used for profit, i wouldn’t make a big deal over it. But.. If it really bothers you.. You can just skip back a few steps and add multiple watermarks and or tell someone else about it, as the viewers word is a lot stronger than the artists in that position.

//I hope this HUGE list was able to help at least SOMEONE out! Please, DO NOT LET ART THIEVES DISCOURAGE YOU! Chances are they’re just kids pretending to be great artists on the internet for attention. Please note that this attention early on can influence them to become great artists themselves as guilt is a natural human emotion! I mean, getting a TON of credit for something YOU DIDN’T DO can weigh a lot on you and only encourage you to at least TRY to do that yourself so the praise actually COUNTS.

//I hope we get to see some of that art of yours, or even writing! Please take care and thank you for the ask!